Here you will find Woodlice, False or Pseudoscorpions, Centipedes, Millipedes, Harvestmen or Opiliones and even terrestrial Flatworms and Nemertines that occur in the two vice-counties of Norfolk.

Recently I have come to the conclusion that many of our assumed natural fauna which are widespread in this country are actually immigrants, aliens or hitch hikers! By this I mean that although they now fit happily into their niches in this country, they originally reached here by boat or even by aeroplane!

When the ice retreated at the end of the last ice age there was a gradual re-colonisation of northern Europe. Only a few species would have made it to Britain before it was cut off from the continent about ten thousand years ago by the opening of the Channel. From then on any creature that could not fly was cut off from Britain unless it could hitch a lift with man. The first hitch hikers probably came with Stone or Bronze Age boatmen and the latest on roro ferries or even jet aircraft.

Corbet, G. B. 1961 Origin of the British Insular Races of Small Mammals and of the Lusitanian Fauna. Nat. Lond., 191:1037-40.

Woodlice

Isopods

East Norfolk vc 27

West Norfolk vc 28

Ligia oceanica (Linneaus)

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Ligidium hypnorum (Cuvier)

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Androniscus dentiger Verhoeff

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Buddelundiella cataractae Verhoeff

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Haplophthalmus danicus Budde Lund

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Haplophthalmus mengei (Zaddach)

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Trichoniscoides albidus (Budde Lund)

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Trichoniscoides saeroeensis Lohmander

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Trichoniscus pusillus Brandt

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Trichoniscus pygmaeus Sars

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Stenophiloscia zosterae (Verhoeff)

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Oniscus asellus Linn.

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Philoscia muscorum (Scopoli)

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Platyarthrus hoffmanseggi Brandt

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Armadillidium album Dollfus

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Armadillidium nasatum Budde Lund

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Armadillidium vulgare (Latrielle)

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Eluma purpurascens Budde Lund

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Cylisticus convexus (De Geer)

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Porcellio dilatatus Brandt

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Porcellio laevis Latreille

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Porcellio scaber Latreille

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Porcellio spinicornis Say

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Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt)

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Trachelipus rathkei (Brandt)

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False Scorpions

Pseudoscorpions

East Norfolk vc 27

West Norfolk vc 28

Chthonius ischnocheles (Hermann)

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C. tenuis L. Koch

Introduced?

C. tetrachelatus (Preyssler) inc. C. kewi Gabbut.

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Neobisium muscorum (Leach)

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Roncus lubricus L. Koch

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Cheridium museorum (Leach)

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Lamprochernes godfreyi (Kew)

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L. nodosus (Schrank)

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L. chyzeri (Tömösväry)

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Pselapochernes scorpoides (Hermann)

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P. dubius (O.P. -Cambridge)

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Allochernes powelli (Kew)

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Dinocheirus panzeri (C.L. Koch)

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Chernes cimicoides (Fabricius)

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Dactochelifer latreillei (Leach)

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Centipedes

Chilopoda

East Norfolk vc 27

West Norfolk vc 28

Haplophilus subterraneus (Shaw)

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Schendyla nemorensis (C. L. Koch)

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Brachyschendyla dentata Brölemänn & Ribaut

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Henia brevis (Silvestri)

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Strigamia crassipes (C. L. Koch)

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S. acuminata (Leach)

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S. maritima (Leach)

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Geophilus carpophagus Leach

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G. electricus (Linn.)

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G. fucorum serauti Brölemänn

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G. insculptus Attems

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Necrophloeophagus flavus (DeGeer)

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Brachygeophilus truncorum (Bergso & Meinert)

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Cryptops hortensis Leach

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C. parisi Brölemänn

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Lithobius forficatus (Linn.)

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L. melanops Newport

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L. borealis Meinert

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L. calcaratus C. L. Koch

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L. crassipes L. Koch

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L. curtipes C. L. Koch

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Lamyctes fulvicornis Meinert

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Scutigera coleoptrata (Linn.)

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Millipedes

Diplopoda

East Norfolk vc 27

West Norfolk vc 28

Polyxenus lagurus (Linn.)

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Glomeris marginata (Villers)

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Stygioglomeris crinata Brölemänn

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Nanogona polydesmoides (Leach)

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Craspedosoma rawlinsii Leach

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Brachychaeteuma bradeae (Brölemänn & Brade-Birks)

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Nemasoma varicorne C.L. Koch

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Thallasisobates littoralis (Silvestri)

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Proteroiulus fuscus (Am Stein)

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Nopoiulus kochii (Gervais)

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Blaniulus guttulatus (Fabricius)

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Archiboreoiulus pallidus (Brade-Birks)

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Boreoiulus tenuis (Bigler)

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Tachypodoiulus niger (Leach)

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Ommatoiulus sabulosus (Linn.)

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Brachyiulus pusillus (Leach)

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Julus scandinavius Latzel

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Ophyiulus pilosus (Newport)

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Allajulus nitidus (Verhoeff)

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Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus (Wood)

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C. londinensis (Leach)

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C. punctatus (Leach)

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C. latestriatuus (Curtis)

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C. britannicus (Verhoeff)

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C. parisorum (Brölemänn & Verhoeff)

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Leptoiulus belgicus (Latzel)

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Unciger foetidus (C.L. Koch)

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Brachydesmus superus Latzel

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Polydesmus angustus Latzel

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P. gallicus Latzel

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P. inconstans Latzel

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P. denticulatus C.L. Koch

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Ophiodesmus albonanus (Latzel)

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Macrosternodesmus palicola Brölemänn

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Harvestmen

Opiliones

East Norfolk vc 27

West Norfolk vc 28

Nemastoma bimaculatum (Fabricius)

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Mitostoma chrysomelias (Hermann)

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Anelasmocephalus cambridgei (Westwood)

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Oligolophus tridens (C. L. Koch)

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Paroligolophus agrestis (Meade)

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Lacinius ephippiatus (C. L. Koch)

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Odellius spinosus (Bosc)

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Mitopus morio (Fabricius)

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Phalangium opilio Linnaeus

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Opilio parietinus (DeGeer)

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O. saxatilis (C. L. Koch)

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Megabunus diadema (Fabricius)

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Rilaena triangularis (Herbst)

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Lophopilio palpinalis (Herbst)

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Dicranopalpus ramosus (Simon)

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Leiobunum rotundum (Latreille)

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L. blackwalli Meade

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Nelima gothica Lohmander

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Flatworms

(terrestrial)

East Norfolk vc 27

West Norfolk vc 28

Microplana terrestris (Müller)

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M. humicola Vejdovsky

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Artioposthia triangulata (Dendy)

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Nemertines

(terrestrial)

East Norfolk vc 27

West Norfolk vc 28

Argonemertes dendyi (Dakin)

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The only way to see if this is still happening is to monitor our fauna continually. Unciger foetidus came to Britain as a result of a gradual colonisation of central Europe and it crossed the sea by some means or other to be found in Dersingham in 1983. What will come in the future? In order to find out how the populations change due to natural expansion and contraction, we need to know their whereabouts now. In a perfect world, we should have also known the ranges in the past as well as those that we shall learn about in the future. Some people say that Chordeuma proximum, Melogona gallica and M. scutellare have increased their range in the last thirty years, others say that they were there all the time but were overlooked. One thing is sure, they do not occur in East Anglia, AT THE MOMENT. In fifty or a hundred years' time, particularly with global warming to add to the equation, things may be different.

Conversely, things that were once common are becoming rare. Allochernes powelli was found in old field barns in the 1980's but in the past few years the barns have vanished. They are now pulled down or, in some cases, they have been converted into luxury homes. A survey now may find that A. powelli has become extinct in Norfolk.